Cyclone Seperator

Cyclone separators or simply cyclones are separation devices (dry scrubbers) that use the principle of inertia to remove particulate matter from flue gases. Cyclone separators is one of many air pollution control devices known as

precleaners

since they generally remove larger pieces of particulate matter. This prevents finer filtration methods from having to deal with large, more abrasive particles later on. In addition, several cyclone separators can operate in parallel, and this system is known as a

multicyclone.

It is important to note that cyclones can vary drastically in their size. The size of the cyclone depends largely on how much flue gas must be filtered;thus larger operations tend to need larger cyclones. For example, several different models of one cyclone type can exist, and the sizes can range from a relatively small 1.2-1.5 meters tall (about 4-5 feet) to around 9 meters (30 feet)—which is about as tall as a three story building!.

How It Works

Cyclone separators work much like a centrifuge, but with a continuous feed of dirty air. In a cyclone separator, dirty flue gas is fed into a chamber. The inside of the chamber creates a spiral vortex, similar to a tornado. This spiral formation and the separation is shown in Figure 2. The lighter components of this gas have less inertia, so it is easier for them to be influenced by the vortex and travel up it. Contrarily, larger components of particulate matter have more inertia and are not as easily influenced by the vortex